1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to adjustable tools that are adapted to reliably retain and accurately align annular seals of varying diameter for installation in a hub, housing, or similar component, at an axle or shaft of a motor vehicle. The disclosed installation tools replace the need for a plurality of different tools to accommodate seals of different size (i.e. diameter) as has heretofor been the practice in industries where there is a need to periodically install such seals.
2. Background Art
As will be known to those skilled in the art, seals are required to retain a lubricant inside the hub or housing at the axle or shaft of a motor vehicle so as to prevent the lubricant from leaking out of the bearing cavity while keeping contaminants out of said cavity. However, the seals need to be replaced from time to time due to wear, fatigue, exposure to high and low temperatures, and the like.
The seals are typically annular in configuration and include a flanged outer ring made of steel and a rubber or leather lip extending therefrom. The seal fits into the hub or housing such that the lip thereof blocks the leakage of the lubricant from the bearing cavity. The seals are manufactured so as to have different diameters to be used for different applications. In view of the foregoing, it has been common to have on hand a different installation tool to accommodate each different seal. Consequently, manufacturing and maintenance costs as well as storage space consumption are undesirably increased. Moreover, a mechanic is often faced with the time-consuming task of making cross-references and other checks to ascertain the correct tool for use with a particular seal. If the correct installation can not be easily identified or located, mechanics are known to use any convenient substitute, which may result in either damage to the seal or a misalignment of the seal relative to the shaft or axle. What is more, the conventional installation tools are typically heavy and cumbersome to use.
It would therefore be desirable to have available a single, relatively low cost and easy to use installation tool which is adjustable to receive and retain seals of varying diameter, whereby to avoid the necessity of having a plurality of different tools to accommodate a corresponding plurality of different seals. In addition, it would be further desirable that the tool be adapted to accurately align the outside diameter of the seal for a reliable installation.